Lyrics
Verse 1
Dust on my boots, red on my cuffsI left that ranch with a heart full of rustMama said, boy, don't trade your nameFor a shiny fast road or a pocket of fameI sleep with the wind and a worn-out prayerA fence post dream and a broken chairMy horse knows the truth I don't say out loudI was born for the road, not the back-row crowd
Pre‑Chorus
And I roll where the mesquite bendsWhere the hard miles make a man
Chorus
Borderland boots, keep me movingBorderland boots, I keep provingI was made for the dust and the flameborderland bootsBorderland boots, say my nameborderland boots
Verse 2
Crossed that river with a song in my chestSun on my neck and a hole in my vestFound me a girl with a fire in her eyesCould dance me to trouble and calm me to lifeWe drank from a cup full of old-time hurtLaughed at the rain on a sun-cracked dirtShe said, cowboy, don't you run too farEven wild things need a place to scar
Pre‑Chorus
So I turned that wheel into the windLet the whole wide world come in
Chorus
Borderland boots, keep me movingBorderland boots, I keep provingI was made for the dust and the flameborderland bootsBorderland boots, say my nameborderland boots
Bridge
If I go down, let the valley knowI loved too hard and I sang too slowWith a busted heart and a steady handI stood my ground on stolen landSo strike that match, let the night get loudI'll be a lone wolf in a buckskin crowdAnd when the last train calls me backI'll leave my tracks in the morning black
Chorus
Borderland boots, keep me movingBorderland boots, I keep provingI was made for the dust and the flameborderland bootsBorderland boots, say my nameborderland boots
Outro
Dust on my boots, red on my cuffsA cowboy song ain't ever enough